Finding True Perfection
by LianatheWingedDrummer16
Summary: The Markers are a holy relic, nothing more. However, even though Necromorphs don't exist, Isaac's near perfect life - a loving girlfriend, a good job, and a happy home - is turned upside down when he meets a certain someone, a charmingly witty pilot whom he shouldn't feel quite so strongly about...
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, I am working on a completely different story when I'm supposed to be working on a chapter of "Unfinished Business" that at least thirty people are waiting for. I'm sorry! But this just popped into my head one day, and I wanted to get it out before someone steals it or I forget. **

**It's a completely AU story. No Necromorphs, but Isaac and Ellie will still meet and fall in love because you know that's my entire reason for living right now.**

**I hope you enjoy it!**

_You think your life is perfect. Then, someone or something comes along and changes all that, and then you realize that without that someone or something, your life wasn't perfect at all. _

ISAAC POV

"Fuck!"

He swears loudly when the wire in his hand touches the one he'd been hoping to avoid and delivers a nasty shock to his body. He jerks the injured arm back, shaking out his hand and glaring at the mechanism.

"Need some help?"

Isaac looks up at the woman leaning against the wall next to the panel. He smirks and says dryly, "Hey, Kendra."

Kendra Daniels works as a computer specialist on his workfloor. She often collaborates with him specifically on a repair project and the likes, and over the years Isaac had befriended the tech expert. Her funny quips and entertaining banter were things he looked forward to every day.

She grins and Isaac returns to the task at hand, this time focusing enough to avoid another nasty shock. He smiles as he rips out more wires, properly doing the hack job, and listens for the sound of the door functioning again.

As soon as he hears the familiar mechanical clang, he shoves the wiring back in, being careful to keep the wires in their new positions so he doesn't have to fix it yet another time. Then he replaces the panel and stands up, brushing off his hands.

"Damn door. This is the third time this month it's gotten messed up," Isaac says, and Kendra laughs.

"Oh, Isaac," she teases him. "What would we do without your engineering skills?"

"Everybody in our group would be screwed," he laughs, gesturing to their floor, filled with busy CEC employees in their cubicles. He turns back to Kendra and says, "So, what brings you here? Something tells me you didn't just drop by for a friendly chat."

"Oh, Norton just wanted me to let you know that we've got someone moving to our work group. She's new, and she's replacing the retiring pilot," Kendra explains.

At the mention of Norton, their so-called captain, Isaac rolls his eyes.

Norton had been a captain in an EarthGov battalion, but for reasons he refused to share with anyone he had moved to the CEC and somehow landed a job. Isaac always suspected he'd gotten kicked off the battalion and had come to the CEC for work, but it was beyond any of them as to why the higher-ups had given him the job. They didn't even really need a boss, and Norton was lazy. He didn't do a damn thing, simply "overseeing" the operations that their workfloor put on. It was like he missed having people to order around, and wanted to take the position of something similar to his old post.

"And the lazy bastard couldn't just come and tell me himself?" Isaac complains. He doesn't usually make an effort to cover up his dislike for his boss, unless he's talking to someone who actually likes the asshole, but since practically nobody does he doesn't bother trying.

"Of course not, you know how he is," Kendra replies.

"And who is this new girl anyways? I like our group the way it is," Isaac adds.

He sounds a bit like a whiny child, but he can't help it – it's been a long day, full of fixing the usual small things that tend to leave him irritated. He wants to fix something hugely important, maybe one of the giant planetcrackers, but an assignment like that doesn't seem like it'll come anytime soon.

He also wants to see Nicole, his girlfriend, but that's out of the question because she works in the MedicBay building two blocks away. Usually he doesn't get to see her until late evening, but things are just the way they are and he's not keen to mess up his perfect life.

Kendra eyes him as though she's not sure whether or not to laugh, but she answers, "Ellie Langford. Class Four heavy equipment pilot."

Isaac doesn't say anything. For some reason, this new arrival is bothering him more than it should, and he's unsettled by that fact.

Normally he's open to meeting new people, but today is just not his day and he's really, really impatient. He only wants to go home and be able to see Nicole after this long, hellish day.

Kendra continues, "Norton also asked me to let you know that she needs some help with her cargo plane. Apparently it's malfunctioning."

"Shit," Isaac swears under his breath. Just what he needs: another simple repair job, probably nothing interesting that could liven up the monotony. "Where?"

"I don't know," Kendra replies. "He didn't even tell me."

"Christ, he's dumb," Isaac mutters, and she nods in agreement, smirking. "See you later. I guess I'd better get going."

Kendra waves him off and he walks to Norton's office, rapping on the opaque glass door. His boss allows him to enter the room, and when Isaac opens the door, immediately Norton says, "Good, you're here. I wanted to talk to you about something."

This time, Isaac resists the urge to rolls his eyes and instead informs him, "If this is about the new pilot, Ellie, I've already heard."

Norton pauses during his browsing of some files on his holographic computer monitor. "Ah, I see. Then you know you're needed for a repair job?"

"Yeah."

"She's in the loading bay. Just ask one of the guys there where she is," Norton says, and it's a clear dismissal judging from the tone of his voice.

Isaac can't stop seething on the way to the elevator and the longish walk afterwards to the loading bay. First it was the lighting problem in the apartment he shares with Nicole, then it was running all over the freaking huge CEC building fixing random crap, and now it's his jackass of a boss sending him off to fix a damn plane. Just wonderful.

On days better than this, he's always happy with and grateful for what he has – it's not as though he's starving or fighting off horrific space monsters, but today, nothing seems to be going right. Nicole hasn't video-linked him once, which is weird, and he's just so damn tired for some reason.

He grits his teeth and tells himself that things will be better tomorrow. At least it's late afternoon; he can go home soon.

Isaac steps into the enormous loading bay, searching for an orderly. Idly, he thinks that it's crazy to be able to be part of a huge planetcracking corporation, learning and creating the machinery of huge ships while these pilots all carry parts to build them, advancing the human race as years go by. It's always such a wonder to be involved in something as big as this.

He manages to catch a harassed-looking orderly dressed in her CEC uniform as she walks by, asking, "Excuse me, do you know where Ellie Langford is?"

She points him in the right direction and he thanks her, jogging lightly across the vast floor to where a frustrated young woman stands by her plane.

Isaac takes in her appearance as he moves closer. Her blue eyes are lit with annoyance and agitation as she looks at another pilot, who appears to be examining the inner workings of the plane. Her lean arms are folded across the chest of her pink tank top, and her chestnut-brown hair, done in two casual ponytails below her ears, swings slightly when her head snaps up to watch him approaching.

Her voice is accented, alluring, with an interesting semi-British accent. "Oh, good, maybe someone who can actually help is here," and Isaac slows to a walk when he's within reasonable distance.

"Ellie?" he asks, and the woman nods, her olive skin subtly glowing in the harsh lights of the loading bay.

"You must be the engineering nerd my new boss told me about. Isaac, right?" she asks, and he nods.

He doesn't particularly feel like talking to this new girl more than necessary, so he takes a look at the plane parts, preparing to diagnose the problem.

And for some reason, the fact that she called him a nerd pisses him off but makes him feel like laughing at the same time.

Isaac ignores the feeling, simply asking, "So, what happened here?"

He can feel her blue gaze on him as though he can see her face himself. "I tried to get it going, and then all of a sudden it just stalled like mad. Could have something to do with the first problem I had, or the fact that one of your fellow nerds didn't fix it properly." Her voice turns hard towards the end of her sentence and Isaac scowls.

"Hey," he says, carefully removing one of the inner pieces of machinery. "Don't go blame me for that."

Ellie doesn't say anything, but Isaac doesn't need to look at her to see that she's still pissed.

Through his suit's gloves he can feel an oddly hot part of the plane's inner workings, something his engineer's intuition tells him shouldn't be warm at all, and he cautiously detaches it from it's place among the pipes.

"Found your problem," he says to Ellie, holding up the burnt-out cooling fuse. "It overheated."

Ellie narrows her eyes. "Thanks," she mutters quietly, almost like she doesn't want to say it, and Isaac clenches his jaw against the irrational anger this produces.

"I'll grab a new fuse," he says, walking away to dispose of the useless part.

As he retrieves a new one, he tells himself not to get too worked up – it doesn't matter and he probably won't talk to her much anyways. This is all just part of his job and he really shouldn't be complaining.

He gets the new cooling fuse and later replaces it inside the planes, covering it all up with the panel. As a warning, he tells Ellie, "Try not to run this one into the ground. They're not supposed to die that quickly."

Ellie glares at him, and Isaac has to wonder if she's naturally that unfriendly or if it's just today. "Well, excuse me for trying to do my job properly," she says sarcastically.

He bites his tongue to keep from snapping back, instead just turning around to head back to his group.

Ellie stops him by calling his name, almost tentatively. "Isaac? Thanks."

Isaac just nods in return and keeps walking, just trying to leave behind all the frustrations of the day, piled like the papers on his work desk.

Strangely, her accented voice keeps echoing in his head during the walk back, teasing him. "Nerd," she quips. "Engineering nerd."

It's almost like he can't get her out of his head, which is ridiculous because she's actually been kind of rude to him, and she hasn't exactly made the greatest first impression.

Sometimes he really just doesn't understand himself.

Frustrated, confused, and downright weary, Isaac slumps back to his seat in his little cubicle, massaging his temples.

The little irritating jobs he's sent to do later only add to his mounting frustration, and by the time he's done with work, he really just wants to go home, eat, and then sleep, maybe cuddle with Nicole if she's not too tired either.

Why did today, of all days, have to be bad?

As he drives home he ponders the question, thinking about what had happened to make things not occur in his favor. His life is usually rewarding, freeing, and the fact that his girlfriend adores him, his job is great, and his home is happy sets him up to be in the "perfect life" category. So it's no surprise that he's had a bad day; everybody has to have one in a while. No big deal – he'll just go to bed and everything will be fine, just fine.

He gets home and waits for Nicole to come back, since she takes the all day shift, and when she does he pulls her into a tight hug, determined to make his frustration go away and get back to his perfect life where he isn't tired and irritable and where new girls in his work group aren't mean to him.

And yet he can't stop thinking about Ellie all the same.

**I hope this intrigues you! Please, do leave a review.**

**And I promise I'll update "Unfinished Business" soon! Just bear with me. **


	2. Chapter 2

**I guess I'm back! In an effort to get my writing flow going I've decided to take on this story. It seems to be easier for me to write - I guess something about the more upbeat and un-apocalyptic nature of the plot compels me to continue. **

**I hope you guys are still interested... Words cannot convey how sorry I am. **

**On with it! **

ELLIE POV

Ellie drinks her booze quietly, ignoring the pounding lights and blaring music of the club around her, choosing instead to stare through the tinted glass of her cup, watching the way it warps the black leather of her seat.

She can't stop thinking of that engineer, Isaac, and wishes she hadn't been so rude to him.

Maybe it's the kind and intelligent look in his blue eyes. Maybe it's the fact that he's pretty good-looking -

No, she's wrong. She has Kaleb, she doesn't need some random coworker she doesn't even know very well.

Definitely not, not at all. It's just the fact that he's likely been in this work group much longer than she has, and she's probably just botched up her first impression. At least he'd made a good one on her...

Ellie groans and lets her head rest in her hands, feeling the dull throb of a minor headache coming on.

She hadn't meant to be mean to him; it's just that her plane's been broken and she needs the damn machine to work properly so she can get her job done. The same problem, a burnt-out fuse, had occurred before, and the engineer who had fixed it spent more time flirting than actually repairing it. When he'd figured out she wasn't interested, he turned almost violent and left in a huff, body-checking her on his way out. She wasn't intent on making the same mistake, just in case being a complete ass was included in the engineer job description.

And even if she doesn't care for her new coworker - which she doesn't - why is this bugging her so much? It hardly matters, she might not even talk to him at all. He shouldn't be making her care this much.

A little voice in the back of her head tells her that she shouldn't have treated him badly even with that past experience and her irritation. That something about him compels her to be a kinder person.

Of course her frustration with the broken machinery wouldn't have kept itself in check. Of course she wouldn't have been able to hold back her anger. A lot of people have told her about that, said she's too blunt, too sarcastic.

But then again, why does it matter?

Her mind is going in circles.

Sometimes she wonders. She's got friends; do they think of her as charming or keep her around for her deprecating humor? Do they see her as a kind soul, or a humorously malicious being?

Her eyes are closed and the music is loud enough to drown out the sound of anyone approaching, so it's a total surprise to her when Kaleb sidles up, saying, "Hey, babe," as his arm wraps around her shoulders, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Whatcha thinking about? Wanna have a little fun?"

"Kaleb," Ellie sighs, shrugging off his arm when it inches a little too close to her chest.

He's wasted, obviously. He never does shit like this when he's not under the influence. Normally he's a perfectly respectable guy, a good, careful boyfriend, but he's pretty much a different person when he's drunk.

She's forced to shove him off again when he tries to tug her to her feet and into the next room. "Kaleb, stop. I'm not in the mood."

She's really not, but he clearly hasn't picked up on the rain clouds hovering over her head as he whines, "Aw, come on," and tugs at her again. "Why not?"

"I just don't want to," Ellie snaps, her exasperation emphasizing her accent.

She's utterly sick of it. He always pressures her to kiss him, and when she gives in it turns into a full-blown make out session. His hands always try to take her shirt off, but then she stops and leaves, because she's not sure if this is the guy she'll spend her life with, and he's the one to search for another person to party with.

She draws the line at sex. It's just not her - she sneers at girls who party and fuck like there's no tomorrow.

And tonight especially, she doesn't even want to touch him when her head is filled with guilt.

It's ridiculous. She's never felt this upset, this guilty, over snapping at someone. How could one person, a man she doesn't even know, incite this powerful of feelings in her? How can she feel sympathy, a previously unknown emotion, towards someone she isn't even familiar with?

She must have spaced out again, because Kaleb is already staggering off from the effects of his beloved booze, angrily crossing the room to find someone else to hit up. Sighing, she drinks the rest of her glass, grimacing from the taste, and pulls down her unfortunately disheveled tanktop.

She's just going to have to apologize to both men. Actually, just to Isaac, because Kaleb always takes her to clubs, drinks so fucking much it's unfathomable how it could all fit inside him, and pulls this shit on her.

Crap. Apparently she also swears too much.

Her headache is evolving into a strong one that threatens to kill her functionality, so she decides it's time for her to go. Kaleb can go find his own ride, most likely from that dirty blonde he's currently putting the moves on.

When she finally crawls into bed, exhausted after a much-needed shower, her last thought before she's completely out is that she will apologize to Isaac, if not to make him feel less affronted then to soothe her guilty conscience.

* * *

When she wakes up the next morning, her head is a little too fuzzy and her body is terribly weary. There's also a too-loud ringing noise and she can't decide if it's from the booze (which she doesn't even like) or something else.

She's forced to ignore it when she squints at the clock, dread filling her body as she realizes she's pretty late this morning.

Of all mornings, it has to be today that she doesn't have her usual half an hour to get ready for work - instead, she has about twelve minutes, meaning she has no time for breakfast or coffee.

"Crap," she hisses discontentedly as she leaps out of bed, yanking out another shirt and pair of pants. She quickly pulls them on, ignoring her slight dizziness and lack of balance.

In the bathroom mirror, she stares at her reflection for a moment, taking in the sight of her unruly hair and too-hectic cheeks, flushed pink and contrasting heavily with her blue eyes.

She hates the morning-after look.

Fuck booze. She's not going to any more damn clubs until one in the morning. She's not putting up with Kaleb's crazy party-boy antics.

He's nice and all, and treats her fine for the most part, but this is just too much. He should've known - she'd told him at least twice about the next day's importance, and yet he'd dragged her out when he knew full well that she had a new group the next day.

She's stuck around for too long. It's over.

Just as she's about to head out the door, she realizes the insistent beeping she's been hearing is her phone, waiting for her to hear the new message. She stares at it, then jabs the button to play the recording.

Kaleb's voice fills her small, bright apartment, and she rolls her eyes, tapping her foot impatiently as she waits for the message to end, one hand on the door.

"Hey, Ellie," he says, remorse obvious in his weary voice. "Listen, I'm really sorry about last night. I completely forgot you had a new group, and I honestly didn't mean to drag you out and make you late. You're probably late, right? Anyways," he continues, coughing a little bit, "call me back. Let me know how it goes, okay? I love you."

She's through the door in an instant, fed up and sick of his antics. She's wasted enough time listening to the message; wasted too much time on him, and to tell the truth she's tired of excusing his shortcomings and mending things between them over stupid phone messages. She doesn't want to speak to him ever again if this is how much she really means to him.

It requires much more effort to keep her eyes open and fight her exhaustion than normal, and by the time she arrives before the massive CEC building, she's about ready to drop dead.

She crosses the enormous and pristine lobby with quick and unobtrusive steps, hurrying to the seventh floor where her group is. The small RIG monitor on her wrist informs her that she's got a minute, and she lets out a breath, relaxing for the moment as the elevator takes her up.

Ellie accidentally locks eyes with that creep of an engineer who'd bothered her earlier last month, and she looks away swiftly, ignoring him and cursing her bad luck, already in quite a foul mood for the day. Because, really, what are the chances of meeting the same person twice in this huge corporation?

Unbidden, her mind immediately makes the connection - how likely is it that one new person could make her feel this conflicted? - and she grits her teeth in complete exasperation.

Great. Now she's apparently thinking about him all the time.

Ellie is beginning to hate Isaac for all those accursed emotions he brings out in her. She's not one to be empathetic; bluntness and sarcasm are more her field.

Completely and unbearably ridiculous.

The elevator doors open with a ding, and she nearly runs out in her haste to escape those intrusive brown eyes.

She steels herself as she enters the room filled with cubicles, all illuminated by the natural light filtering through the huge, all-window wall in front, and keeps her face impassive as she scans the floor for a friendly face. Keeping her nerves under control is crucial if she is to impress her new group.

There's no help in looking at the few employees who are scattered throughout the maze of cubicles. The three or four that are there simply gaze curiously at her for a moment before they resume working.

Uncertainly, Ellie lingers for a moment before deciding to take a chance and walking to the office in the back, reading the placard on the wall. The name Robert Norton sounds familiar, and she recognizes it from her old boss briefing her for the transition, and she bravely raps on the door.

"Come in."

She adjusts the strap of her shoulder bag and pushes the door open. Behind the desk is a man with blond hair and blue eyes that survey her interestedly. "You must be the new pilot, Ellie Langford," he introduces, grinning. "I'm Robert Norton."

She accepts the firm handshake he offers. "Nice to meet you, Robert," she answers, flashing a bright smile.

Robert seems to falter for a moment, glancing away for a second and then coming back to what she's been told is an award-winning smile. She smirks and listens as he stutters and continues, "I-I guess you'll be looking for your work station. It's the one over by Isaac Clarke, the empty one."

Ellie looks over and nods, swallowing hard. It's fine, she tells herself. Just another chance to apologize, no worries.

As she turns back to him he explains, "It'll be just the same as it was when you were with your old group. We take care of the building process, and you just have to fly all that heavy equipment over to the big cargo bay all the way out there in the water - you get the deal."

Ellie nods and smiles again. "I remember. Thanks!"

"No problem." This time Robert manages to return the smile, adding, "Anytime."

She gets the feeling that his last word has a double meaning but ignores it, walking to her new cubicle instead. She's not here to flirt and hook up right now, she's here for her job.

Just as she's taking her seat the clock on the wall strikes seven-thirty, and more of her new coworkers begin streaming in to start the workday.

Nervously, she glances at each face as it passes by, relieved and yet irritated when Isaac has yet to walk in, because she hates apologizing but she knows it's best to get it over with.

A sigh of frustration nearly escapes her lips when it seems mostly everyone is in the room except for him, and she taps her fingers on the glass desk nervously, glancing around yet again. Her RIG dings quietly with the arrival of a new text message, and she looks at the display on her wrist, narrowing her eyes at the message from Kaleb that makes her feel like growling.

He's not sorry. This has to have happened at least ten times and she's sick of it.

As she's typing in a short response, the cubicle next to her shifts a little and she infers that Isaac has sat down, finally here and possibly late for whatever reason. She jumps a little, surprised, and clears her throat as she sends the message, internally preparing.

Surprisingly, he's the first to break the ice. "Ellie?"

She stutters, and curses her nerves in her head. "I-Isaac..."

His eyes visibly turn colder as she fails to apologize, the block in her throat preventing her from reaching her goal, and he turns away, shaking his head slightly in obvious disgust.

Dismayed by the turn of events but unable to find a way to fix it, Ellie turns back to her own work, absently noting the message that appears at her computer and bathes the cubicle in a soft white light.

She's missed her chance. Damn.

* * *

Nearly ten hours later, she stumbles out of the CEC building, yawning with exhaustion. Sleeping for only about four hours can take its toll, but she's pleased that she managed to impress most of her work group.

Well, except for one.

Isaac had maintained a safe and admittedly icy distance during the introductions and other social interactions, never sparing her more than a glance. She felt bad but had to get her work done, but at the same time she couldn't understand why he was so pissed off about that and also why she couldn't just make herself apologize.

Saying sorry never comes easily.

Ellie shakes her head mournfully as she climbs into her car, getting ready to drive back to her apartment.

Just as she's starting the ignition, a movement reflected in the mirror catches her eye and she stops when she realizes it's Isaac, crossing the lot to his car.

He's just about to open his door when she runs up behind him, words tumbling out of her mouth in an ungainly rush. "I'm sorry," she blurts, watching his head turn to the side, eyebrows lifted in surprise. "I'm sorry I was a bitch. It's nothing to do with you."

Then she's turning, and running back to her car, not daring to look back at him even though he hasn't moved an inch in his shock.

She's halfway back to her apartment when she realizes what she just did, and she smiles at the strangeness of it - one person alone can make her do something she's never done before.

Unbelievably ridiculous.

**Finally finished! God, AP English and AP Calculus and AP Psychology are trying to kill me or something. **

**I hope you enjoyed it... Please, oh please do review!**


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